Shatrughan Sinha tops MPs’ list with 772% jump in assets

TNN | Mar 20, 2019, 11.42 AM IST

PATNA: Actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha has topped the list of Lok Sabha members whose assets jumped the most between 2009 and 2014. According to the report released by National Election Watch (EW) and Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) on Tuesday, the Patna Sahib MP’s assets grew by a whopping 772% from 2009 to 2014.

The report is based on the affidavits of 153 MPs submitted along with the nomination papers from across the country. The worth of assets of Shatrughan, popularly known as Shotgun, was a little above Rs 15 crore before the 2009 general elections, which increased to around Rs 131 crore in 2014 elections.

Several other MPs in Bihar also enjoyed a significant surge in their assets. The assets of Hari Manjhi, the BJP MP from Gaya, grew by 592% from 2009 to 2014. Manjhi had declared his wealth worth Rs 14.71 lakh in 2009 and it increased to Rs1.01 crore as per the affidavit filed by him for 2014 general elections.

Similarly, BJP MP from Aurangabad Sushil Kumar Singh’s assets witnessed a jump of 512%, from worth Rs 2.08 crore in 2009 to Rs 12.78 crore in 2014. He was a JD(U) candidate in 2009.

Two time BJP MP from Sheohar, Rama Devi recorded a significant jump in her assets. Value of her properties, including cash, increased from Rs 6.94 crore to Rs 30.86 crore during that period.

Madhubani MP Hukumdeo Narayan Yadav’s assets increased from worth Rs 2.50 crore to Rs 7.79 crore, which is a jump of 212%. Kirti Jha Azad, who had won the last general election on a BJP ticket, and East Champaran BJP MP Radha Mohan Singh recorded a growth of 191% and 196% respectively as far as the worth of their assets in 2009 and 2014 is concerned.

The only candidate from Bihar whose assets decreased is BJP MP Om Prakash Yadav from Siwan. Om Prakash had contested as an independent in 2009 and declared his assets of Rs 30.32 lakh, which dipped 27% to Rs 22.13 lakh in 2014.

Of the 153 MPs, those from BJP recorded the maximum increase in their assets with an average growth of 140%, while those from JD(U) recorded an average growth of 137% and Congress 109% in their assets.